back to school

i just registered for my first class! in february i will begin taking classes, long-distance, from the chalmers center for economic development. the first course i'll take is a foundational class on principles of holistic ministry. then over the course of the year i'll take:

• Christian Microfinance and Microenterprise Development
• Promoting Church-Centered Savings and Credit Associations
• Partnering with Large-Scale Microfinance Institutions
• Training Low-Income Entrepreneurs in Small Business Principles

for years josh & i have wondered & prayed about how i could continue to be engaged in & work towards the vocation i feel called to when it's been so obvious in our marriage that josh's work (which i partner in) has so much inertia & fulfillment right now. & now that i'm a mother it's felt even more mysterious. strangely, though, at the very same time i felt the Lord speaking about starting a family a year ago, i also heard Him speak new life into my (other, non-motherly) calling. the how certainly didn't make sense if i was going to be simultaneously balancing the new role of mother. we still don't have it all figured out, but for now this little-by-little approach feels manageable & even obedient, though i don't know the end result. the plan is to also begin taking various textiles & fiber arts classes (informally even) little-by-little, & see where (in the world?) it takes us. globally, so many "two-thirds world" artisans are working with cloth through weaving, knitting, sewing, papermaking, etc., & through the years this has been the type of art that i've gravitated towards in my own craftmaking. full-time school (art: fibers) is a possibility, but not unless/until i find the right program.

thankfully, josh & i no longer feel like our callings are at odds with each other. rather, it seems they may be a strange & beautiful complement. & mothering... well i've begun to feel that heron's life would only be enriched by having a mother who is very much engaged in the community & world around her, pursuing her dreams.

since returning from my three year term in peru, working in sustainable development, my passion within that field has become even more specific. i worked there as a generalist following my training (in agriculture, small animal husbandry, appropriate technology, health & nutrition, etc.--stuff i love but i've mostly forgotten!) on the HEART commune in florida, but as i worked in peru, my work with women/artisans was the most fulfilling. working with women in microenterprise, through the sale of their arts/crafts, enabling them to support their families, has become my particular passion, so it's this that i'm working towards... finally! i can't wait to get back into this again!